A whole year ago now (December 2022), myself and four other amazing people began a journey of discovery on how to Think & Grow Rich thanks to the appropriately titled book by Napoleon Hill. How did we get to this? All thanks to the incredible Annelies James, who obediently followed The Book's instruction to create your own Mastermind group and deconstruct The Book together. It is also down to fate or the Universe, as I like to call it, for I came across her post one day calling out for this Mastermind group, and so I sent her an email. This is how it all started. Week by week (give or a take a few reschedules) we have analysed a Chapter of this book, keen to withdraw it's secrets (as well as, get the latest goss on baby life, new homes, and first ever University talks!).
It wasn't until Chapter 4 that I thought how awesome it would be to document this on LinkedIn. I was already hugely benefitted from this group, and so wanted to share with others. This is what I share with you now.
Had an awesome time this morning discussing Chapter 4: Auto-Suggestion of Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich with the lovely Daniel Wood, Revd Sass Adams, and Victoria Odey. Although it was amusing how we set off like a sinking ship without our amazing Masterclass Captain Annelies James 🎥✨ Hope you're having a great time away! (on a smooth sailing ship) ⛵😂
So what were our key takeaways from Chapter 4: Auto-Suggestion?
✨ No matter what word you use for it, auto-suggestion, affirmations, vows, prayers, mantras, it's all about intention.
✨ To reprogram your subconscious mind, you need to use auto-suggestion.
✨ 'Think and Grow Rich' is like a manual for those who don't grasp this mindset easily. They need guidance.
What were the key takeaways from our Think & Grow Rich conversation on Chapter 5: Specialized Knowledge?
✨ 'come to a halt' if you find you've been 'drifting without purpose'.
✨ The way you perceive yourself is different to how others perceive you.
✨ Surround yourself with people you want to be inspired by.
Here are my questions from my first time hosting the session 😊👇
Chapter 6: Imagination:
✨ Brain is a “receiving station”: What does this mean to you?
✨“Riches…are not by chance or luck”: What do you think?
Chapter 7: Organized Planning:
✨ What can you offer others? What is your strength?
✨ Do you have an example of hardship that proved successful after you tried a different way?
✨ What is the most important attribute of Leadership to you?
✨ What is the biggest failure in Leadership to you?
✨ The Major Causes of Failure: What stands out for you?
Some takeaways:
✨ Focus on the present - "I will work with peace to have a happier day".
✨ We need to be more AWARE, practice our listening.
✨ Your personality counts. Be kind to others.
✨ Success requires no explanations. Failure permits no alibis.
✨ The journey to success is not by yourself, you need support.
✨ Don't Ever Call Me a Self-Made Man - Arnold Schwarzenegger, snippet: https://lnkd.in/eeZCNqhf
Had a lovely chit chat with Annelies James 🎥✨ for our Think and Grow Rich session on Chapter 8: Decision
LOVED the questions for this chapter.
✨ What is your decision making style? Are you quick & stick, or do you procrastinate?
I tend to take a long time to make a decision, but once I have I confidently stick with it. Interestingly, a lot of people think I make decisions quickly as when I make the decision, it will be the first they've heard of it! 🤣
✨ How influenced are you by the opinions of others? Does this help, harm you, or something else?
Really good question. For me it's about context. If I ask for advice, I am in a different mindset to if someone decides to randomly give their opinion. Especially if they present their opinion like a fact!!
✨ "Indecision is a habit which usually begins in youth" ✨ What are your thoughts on this?
Daniel Wood and Victoria Odey, I hope your weekends start smoothly 💙 And, Revd Sass Adams can't wait to hear how your talk went. I bet you smashed it! 😊
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Revd Sass Adams led with some fantastic questions for Chapter 10: Power of the Mastermind 👇
✨ Beyond this group - who is currently in your mastermind? How do they benefit your business?
✨ What skills, knowledge, strengths would you like in members of your ideal mastermind?
✨ How do you find people to become part of your mastermind?
✨ Do you have any blockers in creating your perfect mastermind? (i.e finances, lack of network)
My key takeaway was a great piece of advice I've heard often - surround yourself with people you admire and respect. Seek out people you want to learn from, but ensure there is balance, what can you offer them?
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With a name like 'The Mystery of Sex Transmutation', you'd expect this Chapter 11 to be spicy. It was not. In Napoleon Hill terms 'Sex energy' can mean sex APPEAL, self-confidence, charisma etc. So, we spoke about the correlation between success and appearance.
My highlight is recognising my Top 3 from the 10 Mind Stimuli -
I override my negative thoughts with Auto-Suggestion (Affirmations), and if that doesn’t work I get moving to some Music. Like most of the group, I have playlists for different requirements. Thirdly, Love. Sometimes, the biggest motivator for me is having a good hug, hearing words of support, and overall feeling cared about 😊
By the way, the graphic for this is titled 'Smug Sass'. We spoke about what motivates us, I agreed with Sass about that smug feeling you get after achieving something you weren't expecting to!
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Another thoroughly enjoyable Think and Grow Rich session today with Annelies James 🎥✨ giving us the saying "It's not Fear. It's Oh Fuck!"
Let me explain 😅🤣
In Chapter 12 - The Subconscious Mind, Napoleon Hill lists The 7 Major Positive Emotions and The 7 Major Negative Emotions 👇
Desire
Faith
Love
Sex
Enthusiasm
Romance
Hope
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Jealousy
Anger
Greed
Fear
Hatred
Revenge
Superstition
It was pleasing to note we didn't feel like any of The 7 Major Negative Emotions affected us too deeply. As business owners and bill payers, financial loss can lead to fear, but Annelies made a good point that it's more like an "Oh fuck!" moment rather than true frozen-in-fright fear. So, that's where the quote came from 😂
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And, of course, how could we not bring this journey to a close without meeting up in person? It was so so lovely to meet these amazing peeps for the first time in person, well except for Annelies James 🎥✨, but last time I saw her in person was like...8 years ago?! 😅
I never expected our sessions discussing a book written in the 1930s would sometimes turn into therapy sessions, but here we are 🤣
I've learnt so much about myself thanks to this group. I never imagined what could actually come of joining a book club, I went in open to the universe, ready for whatever would come my way. And, I have spent every month looking forward to our chats, it has certainly made a difference to my life, thank you 🥰
Rev'd Sass Adams, Victoria Odey, Henry Ford/Daniel Wood ✨
Graphics my own. Last three photos by Annelies James.
Disclaimer: There are no ill intentions with this post. All opinions are my own. I acknowledge and respect that you might have different thoughts to me.